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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27296116">Stolen Hearts of the Hanging Tree</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thanatos_Telos/pseuds/Thanatos_Telos'>Thanatos_Telos</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5, Persona Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Everyone's personas are forcibly awakened via injection, F/F, F/M, Futaba Isshiki - Freeform, Futaba and Sojiro don't know eachother, M/M, Mementos, Morgana is a human, Persona 5 AU, Persona 5 Spoilers, but definitely inspired, hunger games inspired, idk if I'd call it an AU, shadows exist here but are a lot rarer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:20:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,491</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27296116</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thanatos_Telos/pseuds/Thanatos_Telos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Every 4 years in Tokyo, 22 students from around Japan are selected to be sent into a world called Mementos to fight and kill each other until there is one remaining victor. After Akira, a boy skilled in close combat from the country, is forcibly sent to Tokyo by his parents to compete in Mementos, many of the other contestants and outsiders realize this will not be a regular game this time. </p><p>Akira senses it too, its weird this time, but maybe it's because this time he himself will be competing. </p><p>Story updates every Sunday</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akechi Goro &amp; Persona 5 Protagonist, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist, Niijima Makoto/Okumura Haru</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Stolen Hearts of the Hanging Tree</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi everyone! This is my first fic in about 6 years so if you have any constructive criticism for me please leave some comments! I hope you enjoy my new story &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The trains in Tokyo move a lot faster than the do in the countryside, that was the first thing Akira Kurusu noticed on his way to the centre of Tokyo, the Diet Building.</p><p> </p><p>---------------------------------------------------------</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"We volunteered you to go to Mementos."</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"... what?"</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>His fathers face held an angry and stern expression while his mothers held one of disappointment and disdain.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Akira was a bit of a troublemaker but nothing too serious, he liked to go to the woods and practice close combat techniques on the trees there, most of the trees now had gouges in their trunks and missing branches. He stole food from the local stores when his parents refused to feed him anything but vegetable peel scraps and the fatty part of meat that they had cut off their own delicious looking meals. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>He knew he was a burden to his family, he cost money to feed and take care of, he needed time and love but they never gave it to him, he was lucky enough to be allowed to even bather once per month as the water he used took money too. Akira also knew that they only had him for the family aesthetic, there was no such thig as gentle and caring parents or happy families in Akiras world, only hunger, neglect and loneliness.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>---------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>Now Akira is here, in a waiting room inside the diet building with 21 other students, one of them looks so young that Akira isn't sure if he qualifies to be sent to compete in Mementos, surely he's only 14 maximum.</p><p> </p><p>As Akira looks around he notices some of the people in the room are crying, one bleach blonde boy was yelling profanities at the guards, telling them how messed up this situation is and how they're such monsters.</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>'There's no point, they already know and they don't care...'</em> Akira thinks to himself as he studies the rest of the people in the room and tries not to think about the fact that only one of them will come out of Mementos alive.</p><p> </p><p>"Calm down Ryuji! Do you wanna be killed right now or something?!" The girl with blonde pigtails yelled at the boy who's name seemed to be Ryuji, she sounded more scared for him than she did annoyed.</p><p> </p><p>"I'd rather effin' die here than become a murderer. I won't kill anyone. I swore to my ma. I... I promised her-" Ryuji lets his head drop to hide his tears, though Akira is sure no one here would blame him at all, in all honesty the only reason some of them aren't crying is probably due to the shock of the situation, not knowing if they'd ever see their loved one's again.</p><p> </p><p>"I promised Mom that I'd come home... Why did I promise her something so impossible?- I.. T-there's no way I could ever-" The ginger haired girl with glasses sniffles as she curls into herself, it breaks Akiras heart as he watches another girl, a complete stranger pull her into an embrace to comfort. It breaks Akiras heart to think of the poor mother who's child was snatched away from her, surely that mother had been at the reaping praying that the world would spare her poor child from the horrors of Mementos.</p><p> </p><p>No one who gets chosen ever gets proper goodbyes to their loved ones, no hugging or displays of affection are permitted, just a simple word of "goodbye" and then they were to be shipped away.</p><p> </p><p>Akira felt his body begin to shake as the true realization of his situation begins to settle in, he closes his eyes and takes deep breaths until he feels a gentle had on his shoulder. Akira looks up at the person and sees a tall, blue haired boy who looked much too tired and thin to even be considered as an acceptable contestant.</p><p> </p><p>"It is alright to be afraid, I believe we all are." The boy speaks so softly as if to not startle Akira, and it takes him by so much surprise that Akira begins to cry into the boys shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>Akira doesn't tell the boy that he's never been touched so gently or spoken to with such kindness, he doesn't want to place that burden on him so instead he just cries, feeling the fear and dread settle into his heart like ice on a lake during the winter.</p><p> </p><p>"My name is Kitagawa Yusuke, I truly wish we could have met under more... fortunate circumstances" The boy speaks gently again as if he were cradling Akira's heart with his voice.</p><p> </p><p>"I-I'm Kurusu Akira, I'm so sorry" Akira apologizes as he pulls away from Yusukes, drying his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"You needn't apologize Akira, this is quite a horrifying situation, I think I'd be more concerned if you weren't crying" Yusuke sits back in his chair again, crossing one leg over the other.</p><p> </p><p>"Horrifying? This is amazing! you're all ungrateful shit heads and that's why I'll be the victor this year, I'm taking all of that prize money home and you can all eat shit!" One of the boys yell, directing his words towards Yusuke who seemed to ignore him completely in favour of comforting Akira.</p><p> </p><p>"Shut the hell up Nakaoka! This situations messed up! How the hell can you even be worried about effin' cash right now?!" Ryuji pipes up, looking like he's about to tackle Nakaoka to the ground and end him here and now.</p><p> </p><p>Nakaoka rolls his eyes and kicks Ryuji straight in the hip, effectively sending the faux blonde to the ground and clutching his leg in more agony than a simple kick should have caused.</p><p> </p><p>"Ryuji!" The blonde pigtail girl rushes to his side with another girl with black hair tied into a ponytail, concern and worry on their faces.</p><p> </p><p>"You ass, that's cheating! Incapacitating another contestant before the game even begins!" The blonde girl exclaims angrily, standing up to face Nakaoka while the ravenette girl helps Ryuji gently sit against the wall, checking over him.</p><p> </p><p>"What, Ann? You think you're above everyone cause you "play by the rules"? Never played by the rules when you were Kamoshid's bitch-" Nakaoka gets so swiftly uppercut by Anns fist that Akira would have missed it if he blinked.</p><p> </p><p>Nakaoka yells out and pain and goes to grab Anns hair but is cut off by a guard dragging him off to his living quarters, the place he'd be staying until they were sent into Mementos.</p><p> </p><p>"Thanks Annie" Ryuji smiles softly at her, almost looking proud.</p><p> </p><p>Ann kneels in front of him and looks at his leg. "How's his leg Shiho?" She asks worriedly.</p><p> </p><p>"It's gonna leave a bruise and ache but no bad damage" Shiho answers, standing up and helping Ryuji sit back on a chair.</p><p> </p><p>"What on earth is he on about? do you all know each other?" One girl spoke up, she looked dignified and like she was holding everything together, carefully calculating everything in her head. She had short brown hair with a braid across the top of her head.</p><p> </p><p>"I used to be on the track team with Nakaoka, that bastard did nothin' while the teacher abused us all so when I stood up to the teacher after he insulted my ma and said I'm just like my dad I hit him... and then he broke my femur. Nakaoka and the other members hated me for ending the track team but I don't regret a thing." Ryuji explained while rubbing his hip.</p><p> </p><p>"Femur breaks don't heal well, I can't imagine this is going to be easy for you..." the girl sad looking concerned.</p><p> </p><p>Ryuji just sighs and averts his eyes, letting his expression tell her that he doesn't expect to make it out anyway.</p><p> </p><p>"Why don't we all introduce ourselves? Make this feel as comfortable as possible... My name is Haru Okumura" The girl with fluffy blush pink hair tries to lighten the mood.</p><p> </p><p>"Ryuji Sakamoto, pleased to meet ya"</p><p> </p><p>"Ann Takamaki"</p><p> </p><p>"Makoto Niijima"</p><p> </p><p>"Morgana Amamiya"</p><p> </p><p>"... Fu... Futaba Isshiki"</p><p> </p><p>"Yusuke Kitagawa"</p><p> </p><p>"I'm Akira Kurusu"</p><p> </p><p>A few others introduced themselves and then two more girls who looked to be identical twins spoke up.</p><p> </p><p>"Kasumi Yoshizawa"</p><p> </p><p>"S-Sumire Yoshizawa"</p><p> </p><p>"For real?! They seriously chose two sisters... This is so messed up!" Ryuji exclaims, looking pissed off again.</p><p> </p><p>Akira looked to the corner of the room where another boy sat looking out the window at the crowd below. Akira walked over to him and gently tapped his shoulder. The brunette boy looked up at him a little surprised then relaxes, smiling sweetly.</p><p> </p><p>"Where are my manners? My name is Goro Akechi, it's a pleasure to meet you" Goro grabs Akiras hand and shakes it firmly but the hold had no malice nor anger behind it, it stuns Akira for a moment before he shakes Goro's hand back.</p><p> </p><p>Akira had to live with the fact that one of these people is going to kill him.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>And the thought alone nearly stopped his heart.</em>
  </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapters probably wont have toooooo much time between them but if there is a time where I go off schedules I will le you know!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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